AMD unleashing the Dragon at CES

AMD used to be my choice for a CPU when it came to building a computer. The combination of price and performance was second to none. Intel came storming back with the Core 2 Duo processors and that’s what I’ve been using every since. Well, AMD is looking to bring enthusiasts and gamers back to their area with the Dragon platform.

When talking about the Dragon platform, we’re talking about the AMD Phenom II X4 processor, a motherboard with the AMD 7-chipset series, and an ATI Radeon HD 4800 series card. The major player that hasn’t been released yet is the AMD Phenom II X4 CPU. While I can’t go into specifics yet on the CPU you can probably guess the cores based on the name of the processor. Combined with the already powerful AMD HD 4800 series card and high performing AMD 7-series motherboard, AMD is looking to offer a rig that not only will perform gangbusters in gaming but also at a good pricing point. The pricing on the video card and motherboards are pretty competitive as it is and we’ll soon know what the AMD Phenom II X4 processor will be sold at.

AMD has held a few events already to show off the latest processor and reaction from the enthusiast community has been overwhelmingly positive. Just take a look at the picture of the processor speed from one of the events below. That’s scoring a 6.2GHz rating albeit on liquid nitrogen cooling. If you don’t have some liquid nitrogen laying around, reports from the events have been that the CPUs are pushing around 4GHz with just air. That’s some serious clock speed. Now we all know clock speed isn’t everything but the numbers are still mighty impressive.

I’ll be able to report more after CES as I’ll have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the CPU. For now though, I’m pretty excited by what I’ve heard with the AMD Phenom II X4 CPU. AMD has brought gamers back with their ATI Radeon HD 4000 series of cards. Can they complete the circle by bringing enthusiasts and gamers into the fold with the next processor? Time will tell and if the early buzz is any indication, we’re going to be in for some exciting times.